MINI HERITAGE.

HERE’S OUR STORY.

Our story begins in 1923 in Surrey, England, where a boy named John Cooper was born. John often spent time working at his father’s garage and together they built one-off, single-seat rally racers called “Specials”.

With their limited resources in post-war England, and against the automotive fashion of the time (which tended to favour massive cars), the Coopers commissioned Sir Alec Issigonis to produce a compact vehicle that would be “for the people!” using John Cooper’s rear-engine chassis design to save on space. At the first dinner meeting, Issigonis sketched his ideas on a napkin (That’s right – the first Mini was designed on a napkin, over a dish of Bangers and Mash!). Unbeknownst to them, their new design would become a game changer in the motorsports world. The car drove beautifully; it was fast, agile, compact, and best of all, affordable.

The rest, one could say, is history. But before you dismiss this David and Goliath story, consider this: John Cooper’s Mini would place first in countless prolific races, including the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967, against some of the biggest car manufacturers of the time. And that’s before going on to achieve a revered status around the world – with legions of devoted fans, millions of models on the road, and one European Car of the Century title.

Here’s the short story of how MINI grew from its humble beginnings in Longbridge, England to become one of the most iconic vehicles in the world.

1959

"621 AOK" is the first Mini off the production line to be badged Morris. It was never sold, and is now kept at the Heritage Motor Centre, in Gaydon, UK.

1960

1961

Once a racer, always a racer: Firmly set on the idea of producing a Mini for competition purposes, racing car designer John Cooper made tentative approaches to Issigonis, selling the idea of a high-performance variation of the Mini. However, Sir Alec Issigonis still harboured a dream that his Mini was a car for every man: "These cars are not designed for competition use, they are a people's car." And Cooper was persistent. He chose to undermine Issigonis and opted for the assistance of George Harriman, who commissioned Cooper to make 1,000 Mini vehicles, with a two-pound royalty payment on each one sold. Eventually, 150,000 Mini Coopers were made.

1963

The first Mini Convertible is produced by Crayford Engineering in Westerham, England.

1967

1969

1970

In October of 1969, British Leyland revamped the design of the Mini with the Mini Clubman. Its newly designed radiator grille (with its own Clubman logo) spanned the entire width of the front of the car and was flanked by chrome-surround headlights. The Mini Clubman was designed to project a safer, more "grown-up" look. And it had actually grown: at 3.17 metres, the Mini Clubman was roughly 12 cm longer than its predecessor. Changes had also occurred on the inside. The dashboard of the Mini Clubman saw the centrally positioned speedometer replaced by two round instruments directly behind the steering wheel – and thus directly in front of the driver.

1993

1996

1998

DESIGNER EDITIONS.

1999

With over 5 million Classic Minis on the road, a panel of 130 international automotive journalists vote Mini “European Car of the Century”. For the international title, MINI places second, surpassed only by the Ford Model T.

2001

Accompanied by the launch slogan, "Is it love?", the 1st generation MINI Cooper hit the streets. Wide-eyed and peerless, its clamshell bonnet and chrome-surround headlamps imparted a flashback to the original Mini "eyes", only this time with a slanting, raked-back design. Originally stemming from John Cooper's desire to make the Mini Cooper stand out even more on the racetrack, the contrasting roof with matching mirror caps went from Mini to MINI without sacrificing the distinct integrity of the design.

2016

MINI HERITAGE.

HERE’S OUR STORY.

Our story begins in 1923 in Surrey, England, where a boy named John Cooper was born. John often spent time working at his father’s garage and together they built one-off, single-seat rally racers called “Specials”.

With their limited resources in post-war England, and against the automotive fashion of the time (which tended to favour massive cars), the Coopers commissioned Sir Alec Issigonis to produce a compact vehicle that would be “for the people!” using John Cooper’s rear-engine chassis design to save on space. At the first dinner meeting, Issigonis sketched his ideas on a napkin (That’s right – the first Mini was designed on a napkin, over a dish of Bangers and Mash!). Unbeknownst to them, their new design would become a game changer in the motorsports world. The car drove beautifully; it was fast, agile, compact, and best of all, affordable.

The rest, one could say, is history. But before you dismiss this David and Goliath story, consider this: John Cooper’s Mini would place first in countless prolific races, including the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967, against some of the biggest car manufacturers of the time. And that’s before going on to achieve a revered status around the world – with legions of devoted fans, millions of models on the road, and one European Car of the Century title.

Here’s the short story of how MINI grew from its humble beginnings in Longbridge, England to become one of the most iconic vehicles in the world.

1959

"621 AOK" is the first Mini off the production line to be badged Morris. It was never sold, and is now kept at the Heritage Motor Centre, in Gaydon, UK.

Mk I (1959-67)

1960

Morris Mini-Van (850) – Mk I (1960-69)

Morris Mini-Traveller – Mk I (1960-67)

1961

Once a racer, always a racer: Firmly set on the idea of producing a Mini for competition purposes, racing car designer John Cooper made tentative approaches to Issigonis, selling the idea of a high-performance variation of the Mini. However, Sir Alec Issigonis still harboured a dream that his Mini was a car for every man: "These cars are not designed for competition use, they are a people's car." And Cooper was persistent. He chose to undermine Issigonis and opted for the assistance of George Harriman, who commissioned Cooper to make 1,000 Mini vehicles, with a two-pound royalty payment on each one sold. Eventually, 150,000 Mini Coopers were made.

Austin Mini Cooper – Mk I (1961-64)

Morris Mini 850 Pick-Up – Mk I (1961-69)

1963

The first Mini Convertible is produced by Crayford Engineering in Westerham, England.

Austin Mini Cooper S – Mk I (1963-64)

Mini Cabriolet

1967

Austin Mini 850 – Mk II (1967-69)

Austin Mini Cooper S Mk II (1967-70)

Morris Mini Cooper. Stitch with Austin (1967 – 70)

1969

Mini 1000 (1969-77)

Mini Clubman (1969-75)

1970

In October of 1969, British Leyland revamped the design of the Mini with the Mini Clubman. Its newly designed radiator grille (with its own Clubman logo) spanned the entire width of the front of the car and was flanked by chrome-surround headlights. The Mini Clubman was designed to project a safer, more "grown-up" look. And it had actually grown: at 3.17 metres, the Mini Clubman was roughly 12 cm longer than its predecessor. Changes had also occurred on the inside. The dashboard of the Mini Clubman saw the centrally positioned speedometer replaced by two round instruments directly behind the steering wheel – and thus directly in front of the driver.

1977

1990

1991

Mini Cabriolet

1993

Mini Cabriolet – Mk IV

1996

Mini Cooper 1.3L – Mk VII (1996-2000)

1998

DESIGNER EDITIONS.

Designer – Kate Moss

Designer – Paul Smith

Designer – Time Machine

Designer – Natasha Caine

1999

With over 5 million Classic Minis on the road, a panel of 130 international automotive journalists vote Mini “European Car of the Century”. For the international title, MINI places second, surpassed only by the Ford Model T.

European Car of the Century

2001

Accompanied by the launch slogan, "Is it love?", the 1st generation MINI Cooper hit the streets. Wide-eyed and peerless, its clamshell bonnet and chrome-surround headlamps imparted a flashback to the original Mini "eyes", only this time with a slanting, raked-back design. Originally stemming from John Cooper's desire to make the Mini Cooper stand out even more on the racetrack, the contrasting roof with matching mirror caps went from Mini to MINI without sacrificing the distinct integrity of the design.

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†By checking this box and clicking submit, I consent to receive emails containing offers and news from or on behalf of MINI Grand River (1800 Victoria St. North, Kitchener, ON N2B 3E5, margo.quinn@quinngroup.ca, (519) 747-0269) and from or on behalf of MINI Canada, a division of BMW Canada Inc., (50 Ultimate Dr., Richmond Hill, ON L4S 0C8, customer.service@mini.ca, 1-866-DRV-MINI (1-866-378-6464)). I understand I can withdraw either or both consent(s) at any time by unsubscribing or by contacting MINI Grand River and/or MINI Canada at the addresses above. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us and your personal information will be collected, used and otherwise managed in accordance with MINI Canada's Privacy Policy and MINI Grand River's Privacy Policy, as applicable.